1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed toward vehicle doors assemblies and, more particularly, toward a hook and catch assembly for vehicle doors.
2. Description of Related Art
In the conventional vehicles having a front door and a rear door on each side of the vehicle, the front door is pivotally secured about its forward end to the vehicle body or A-pillar whereas the rear door is pivotally secured to the vehicle body or B-pillar about its forward end. Due to the presence of the B-pillar, the rearward edge of the front door and the forward edge of the rear door are effectively linked to the vehicle body and, as such, are considered to be able to effectively resist side impacts.
In four door vehicles lacking a B-pillar, the front door is pivotally secured about its forward end to the vehicle body whereas the rear door is pivotally secured about its rearward end to the vehicle body. In such constructions, the rearward end of the front door is sealed to the forward end of the rear door. Although the internal structure of the doors, especially adjacent the sealing ends (rearward end of front door/forward end of rear door), can be strengthened, there still exists a need to operably link the doors to the vehicle body at or near this location.
The present invention is directed toward a hook and catch assembly for securing a vehicle door to a vehicle body. The hook and catch assembly serves to secure and link the vehicle door to the vehicle body so as to strengthen the door against side impacts.
In accordance with the present invention, a hook is secured to an inner surface of the vehicle door and a catch is secured to an upper surface of a vehicle rocker panel against which the door sealingly engages. A rocker panel garnish is disposed over the catch and over the upper surface of the rocker panel so as to generally conceal the catch.
In further accordance with the present invention, the rocker panel garnish has a slot or opening formed therein that is aligned with the catch. When the door is in the closed position, the hook extends through the rocker panel garnish slot and is received between the catch and the rocker panel upper surface so as to secure the door to the vehicle body.